Apparatus for making dies



(No Model.)

J. A. HOP .0; K. PIO-KLES. APPARAT OR MAKING DIES.

No. 541,438. Patented-June 18, 1895.

%% wk ig NITED TATES ATENT N JOHN A. HOFF AND CHARLES K. PICKL S, OF ST.LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIC CRS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE AMERICANSTENCIL MACHINE COMPANY,

OF EAST ST. LOUIS, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 541,438, dated June 18,1895.

Application filed September 18,1894. Serial No. 523,447- (No model.) a

T aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, JOHN A. I-IOFF and CHARLES K. PICKLES, of St.Louis, Missouri, have made a certain new and useful Improvement inApparatus for Making Dies, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings,forming part of 'this specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in apparatus for making dies andhas special reference to a device for producing punches conveniently,quickly and economically and our invention consists in novel features ofconstruction hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure I is a perspective view of a finishedpatrix formed by our apparatus. Fig. II is a perspective view of amatrix formed by the patrix. Fig. 111 is an elevation of a mold, thedotted lines indicating a concavity therein, in which the patrix iscast. Fig. IV is an elevation, partIy in section, of a frame in whichthe mold is mounted and by which the molten mass is treated. Fig. V is aperspective view of a combined base and matrix employed in conjunctionwith the mold. Fig. VI is an' elevation of a finished'patrix formed byour apparatus.

Heretofore in this art it has been the practice to form punches bycasting the relieved or embossed portion thereof, and thereafteraffixing thereto a Stem or shank by which the same was sustained andimpelled; or the punch was formed by milling away the body of a Sectionof metal of sufficient size to form the entire device, leaving theconfiguration thereof in relief on one end of said section of metal, buteither manner of production is lacking in many desirable qualities.

In the construction of the apparatus preliminary to the operation of theprocess, a patrix 1O (Fig.1),is made in any common manner and providedwith an embossed letter or 5 symbol 11 on one end thereof. (It isunderstood that a separate patrix should first be .made for each letter,symbol or configuration desired.) The patrix thusformed is mounted in achuck (not shown), and forcibly impacted with and caused to penetrate ablock of metal, or is placed in a mold and molten metal cast in Contactwith the face thereof, thus producing the matrix 12. Shown in Fig. V.The matrix 12 is placed in' the lower portion of a cavity or bore in amold 13, which mold is 5 seated on a base 14 and has its axial planeinclined approximately thirty degrees from the perpendicular. Abifurcated frame 15 is provided, the extreme ends of which frame arepivotally connected to the base 14:, the yoke of said frame having anorbit, or plane of travel, across the upper end of the mold 13. Acompressing screw 16 is mounted in a screw seat, formed in the yoke ofthe frame'15, and isprovided at one end with a hand wheel 17,

,whereby it is manually rotated, and at the other end with a head 18-,the diameter of the head-18 being coincident with the diameter of theupper portion of the bore in the mold 13.

The frame 15 being positioned as shown by dotted lines in Fig. IV, thebore in the mold 13 is flushed with lead, or analogous suitablesubstance, the matrix is positioned as shown, and the patrix material,in a molten condition, introduced slowly into the upper end of Saidbore, said molten material traveling down the line 19 of said bore intocontact with the matrix, and gradually filling the configuratedindentation of the matrix and the bore to a point slightly above thedemarcation line 20. 'WVhile the patrix material is yet plastic, theframe 15 and the screw 16 are positioned, as shown by solid lines inFig. IV, and the head 18 introduced into the bore, and caused to contactwith said plastic material by the manual rotation of said screw andconsequent longitudinal travel thereof, the con tinued rotation of theScrew efiecting a gradual application of great compressing force on saidmaterial, thus rendering the same slightly homogeneous, and insiiringthe uniform Contact thereof with the matrix and resultant formation of aperfect male die in exact reproduction of the indentation of the matrix.After cooling, the mold 13 and now perfectly formed patrix 21, saidpatrix is removed with the matrix from the said mold, and thereafterconjunctively employed with the matrix 22 (Fig. II) to form acompletedie, the matrix 22 being formed by the original [00 patrix 10.

By reason of the inclined positioning of the mold 13 and slow pouring ofthe patrix material along the line 19, the air and other gases escapefrom the mold along the line 23 in advance of the metal, thus insuringmore perfect results than are otherwise obtainable.

By means of our apparatus, punches and dies may be produced in any formof any metallic substance with great rapidity and convenience, and at aminimum expense.

\Vhat we claim is-- An apparatus for making dies, comprising a baseprovided with an inclined upper surface, a bifurcated frame pivoted tosaid base and carrying a compressing screw, and a mold adapted toreceive a matrix in its lower end, [5 and to be supported upon theinclined surface of the base, substantially as described.

JOHN A. IIOFF. CHARLES K. PIGKLES. In presence of E. S. KNIGHT, N.FINLEY.

